Software Engineer, Robot Autonomy, Intern

Our Mission

At Laelaps AI, we believe robotics is entering a transformative decade, much like the arrival of the internet. Advances in AI, cloud computing, and hardware are reshaping what autonomous systems can do. Our mission is to build the intelligent software that powers physical security in the real world - enabling robots and sensors to handle dangerous and critical tasks that humans shouldn't have to. By engineering the orchestration layer for intelligent security, we aim to create a world that is safer, more secure, and more resilient.

We're a strong founding team based in Zurich, backed by visionary investors and advisors. We are engineering the future of security today!

The Role

As a Software Engineer intern on Robot Autonomy, you'll work on the software that runs on our legged security robots: how they perceive their surroundings, know where they are, and move through real customer sites on patrol. You'll join the team that owns everything on the robot and take a well-scoped problem from first experiment to a result that runs on hardware.

The role focuses on building software for the robot autonomy stack that runs in the field. We'll agree your focus area with you during the interview process, based on your strengths and the team's priorities, and we expect you to own it from day one.

This role is hands-on. You'll work with real sensor data and field logs, test on physical robots, and see first-hand why a robot that works in the lab can still fail on a live site at night, in rain, or after the layout changes.

What You'll Work On

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Build and improve components of the on-robot autonomy stack, such as perception, localisation and state estimation, or planning and navigation, depending on your background and the team's priorities.

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Integrate sensors such as lidar, cameras and IMU, and work with the data they produce in day, night and challenging weather.

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Reproduce issues from field deployments using logs and simulation, find the root cause, and help fix it at the right layer.

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Design repeatable tests and clear metrics that show whether a change holds up across routes, lighting, weather and site layouts.

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Test your work on physical robots, and join site visits to see how the system behaves in real operating conditions.

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Apply solid engineering practices: code review, version control, reproducible experiments and clear documentation.

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for a strong robotics student who wants to see their work run on real robots, not only in simulation. You don't need every item below, but you should meet the core requirements and bring depth in at least one area of the autonomy stack. You'll join a small team that moves fast, expects ownership, and holds work to the standard of running on live customer sites.

Your Background

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Currently pursuing a Master's or PhD, or completed a Master's degree within the last year, in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering or a closely related field.

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Demonstrated depth in at least one of perception, localisation and state estimation, or motion planning and navigation, through a thesis, research or a substantial project.

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Strong coding skills in Python.

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Hands-on experience with ROS 2.

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Comfortable using Linux, Docker and Git in your workflows.

Nice to Have

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Experience working with physical robots, ideally mobile or legged.

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Experience with lidar or camera processing, SLAM, or sensor fusion.

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Experience with robotics simulators such as Isaac Sim, Gazebo or MuJoCo.

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Publications or competition results in robotics (ICRA, IROS, RSS, CoRL).

What We Offer

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Ownership: you are able to ship products and deliver project end-to-end.

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Mission: autonomous security that keeps people and critical sites safe, including in defence.

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Career path: a ground-floor seat with real runway. Prove your value and you will not have barriers to grow.

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Team: work directly with PhD-level co-founders in AI, Robotics, and Physics, alongside a strong (and fun) founding team.

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Compensation: Competitive equity/salary package

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Culture: International founding team that is serious about building but does not take itself too seriously.

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